Come Back To Me
by Jislane35
Summary: She couldn't help but notice something different in the once 'Junior Rodeo' gal from her childhood, the real question was did any of her friends see it as well? Rated M for future chapters.
1. Catching up on life

**A/N: HELLO EVERYONE! WELL THIS ISN'T MY FIRST TBBT FIC (WHICH I WILL GET MY ASS BACK ON REAL SOON) BUT THIS IS MY FIRST EVER STORY FOCUSING ON SHELDON AND PENNY ALONG WITH AN OC OF MINE THAT I HOPE YOU'LL LIKE. DON'T BE AFRAID TO GIVE ME ANY CRITICISM/SUGGESTIONS YOU'D LIKE, PLEASE NO FLAMES I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE, IF YOU'RE NOT FOND WITH THIS SHIP THEN PLEASE MOVE ON TO A STORY THAT YOU KNOW YOU'LL BE INTERESTED IN READING. I'D LIKE TO THANK MY VERY GOOD FRIEND 'WOLFOFSHEEP' ON BEING MY BETA FOR THIS STORY WITHOUT HER THIS THING WOULD BE A CATASTROPHE! LOL HOPE YOU ENJOY EVERYONE. OH AND AS USUAL I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

Chapter 1: June's POV

So here we are again, another Saturday night in front of my apartment door, with a basket full of soiled clothes, detergent settled against my hip and cold feet, except…what exactly was I so worried about? I've never even talked to this guy before! I would always see him come in every weekend to do his laundry at precisely 8:15 on the dot but only staying for an hour and 30 minutes until everything was folded and organized in a certain order in his basket then heading back upstairs without muttering a single word to me. Almost as if he had a schedule of his own all planned out in his head, I sometimes wondered if he ever noticed if I was there or not, I'm not one to sit still for long.

I've always been a social girl when growing up, but for some reason the grim and stiff expression on this guy's face seemed to have given me a bit of a reluctant feeling to myself. He had this air of not coming out as very welcoming, maybe he was one of those people who weren't comfortable with presenting themselves first to others. Nevertheless, I just moved in last Thursday, the least I could do is introduce myself around the building, there's no harm in that of course.

Heading out and locking the door to my apartment I shove my keys into the right pocket of my black shorts and head on over to the downstairs laundry room.

Slowly descending down the stairs I stop near the entrance of the door and count to ten, taking a deep breath while trying to ease the tension in my stomach. I soon enter and immediately recognize the vibrant colors of the double layered t-shirts along with the familiar pair of plaid chinos clad on the tall figure positioned on the other side of the room, trying to act as nonchalant as possible I go and place my belongings on top of one the machines closest to his and prepare to measure the liquid detergent.

I decide to put in my lights first since most of them were covered in some of the new acrylic paints I bought just last month, speaking of which I need to buy a new pack soon.

Closing the lid and lifting myself up to sit on top of the machine I swing my feet back and forth and twiddle my fingers together, catching short glimpses of my neighbor every now, hoping he'd turn around any minute and notice I'm here as well. It seemed as if he was reading something as he leaned against the table in the middle of the room, so far I was only able to see the side of his face.

I jump in surprise as I hear him speak without turning around. "Ma'am I would appreciate it if you would please desist your feet from creating such a ruckus against the sheet steel, it is most aggravating," he uttered with a bit of annoyance.

Blushing in embarrassment I stop my feet from bumping against the steel metal and place them on top of the machine, crossing my legs Indian style.

"Sorry about that, didn't know it'd be such a bother to you," I hesitated hoping he doesn't leave and think of me as bothersome.

"Mm-hmm," he mumbles from where he stands, he probably must be really into whatever the hell he's reading to not be interested enough to turn around and face me while I'm talking to him.

Deciding that this was a good time to finally present myself, I take a deep breath and calm my nerves down before speaking up.

"My name's June by the way I just moved in here last week, I can see why it's so difficult to get a room around this complex. The architecture of the building is very well designed and the bedrooms contain a wonderful amount of space in them."

Might as well build some conversation while I'm at it, and yet his back is STILL facing me, it's kind of bugging me really.

"Yes I suppose they are, although I do suggest a more complex attempt with the locks on the doors, I've been burglarized at least once while out with some colleagues of mine and do not wish to encounter such a situation again."

My eyes blink in surprise, I couldn't help but feel pity for something as unfortunate as that to have happened to him, I wondered as to why it was only HIS apartment and not multiple ones? Could it have been a rival of his, or maybe some random asshole from his job trying to screw around with him at the time?

"Oh my god that's terrible! Please tell me you at least got almost everything back!?" I ask with concern edged in my voice.

I see his head nod as he continues to speak, "Oh indeed I did, with some assistance from a friend of mine right across the hall from me of course; if it wasn't for her Nebraskan man handling skills I don't know if I ever would've retrieved everything in return." Sighing with relief as I felt glad to hear that everything turned out alright for him in the end, luckily he had someone whom he could count on if he was ever in some sort of dilemma, but wait a minute...crap what if MY apartment were to get broken into one day?! I better start looking for some security handled locks over at Home Depot soon, better safe than sorry.

Suddenly the alarm of my washing machine started to ring, I jump off to open the small door, transferring my clothes over to the dryer next to it. I hear footsteps from outside the door and sadly realize that we'd be having more company for laundry today, that's too bad since I really wanted to have a full conversation with this guy without having an audience around.

"Oh hey Sheldon, haven't seen you in a while, how's it going?" my hands stop in mid-air from putting away the clothes as I listened intently to the feminine voice from across the room. As the two friends began to converse I tuned out my neighbor's voice for a moment and listen intently on the girl's instead, noticing something vaguely familiar about it.

Putting the last two piles of clothes into the dryer I close my door and slowly turn around believing to have mistaken her for someone else. I spot her on the left side of the room, average in height with olive toned skin and golden blonde hair. My eyes narrow but soon widen in shock, it just couldn't be her!

While grabbing a crumbled pile of clothes from her laundry basket a sock slowly falls out from the lump in her hands, which she soon notices as she crouches down to pick it up from the floor, running her fingers through her wavy hair as she stood back up. My jaw drops in disbelief as I instantly recognize the one and only Penelope Darcy Davis, varsity cheerleader and one of the most well-known girls from my junior high.

Who would've thought that after 12 years I'd run into the same girl whom I not only used be close friends with but was also her tutor in both math and history, including her acrobatic partner in the cheer squad.

We never got the chance to keep in touch with one another since she ran away from home in the middle of junior year. I tried calling her from her cell but it turned out that she had changed the number a long time ago, probably didn't want her parents tracking her down through her phone or something like that, still...she just HAS to remember who I am after all those times we've spent together.

I nervously clear my throat and take slow steps towards where she is.

"Excuse me," I spoke, catching her attention as her emerald green eyes looked up at mine in the middle of dumping her clothes into the washer, BOTH darks and lights if I may say, with a distant look on her face as she waited for me to continue.

"Hi, sorry if this is all so sudden but did you happen to go to Watterson Senior High School?"

Her eyes blinked twice while her eyebrows knitted together as if trying to catch up on my question, "Y-yes, have we...met before by any chance?" she questions me with a skeptical tone coloring her voice.

I hesitated a bit before continuing, feeling a little excited that she was familiar with our school's name, "It's just that you remind me of...someone I was very close to, she was head cheerleader at the time, I also used to date a cousin of hers, his name was Chad Dawson, sound familiar to you?" as soon as I mentioned all of this her eyes widened in glee as her lips grew into that unforgettable smile of hers.

"June Riley?" she asks turning her whole body towards me. A smile stretched across my face as she said my name, happy and relieved to know that she still remembered me after so long. "Penelope?"

"I told you never to call me that!" she laughs, instantly wrapping her arms around my neck, enveloping me into a warm bear hug. I happily returned the gesture with an even tighter embrace, after a good two minutes we back away from one another and once again throw another round of giggles.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe you're actually here! You look awesome! A lot slimmer too, been working out lately?"

I nod and feel flattered for her noticing a minor change in my figure, I was a bit more plump during my time in school; but ever since Penny encouraged me to join the squad with her as freshman's things had changed. I've been achieving to keep myself in shape over the years but sadly no matter how fattening, food would always be my kryptonite.

"Yep that's right, lost a couple pounds over the past few months and I'm very satisfied with the weight I'm at right now," I grinned.

"What a coincidence for you to be in the same complex as me, what exactly are you doing here in Pasadena?" she asks in surprise.

I narrow my eyes at her and shake my head, "Really Penny, you do remember my one and only passion being art right?" I taunted. "I've actually been studying over at the Pasadena Art Center since the beginning of this year and I simply adore all the new things I've never been able to explore before you know?" she grins over my delight and nods her head in agreement.

"Yeah I know, I remember you're dad wanting you to be a painter just like him, but you're love for animation was way too big to ignore."

I cringe at the memory of the many arguments I've had with my father over me not focusing more on the true history of fine art but instead 'wasting' my time on sketching 'doodles' that wouldn't be able to help me build a successful career for myself. He was an extravagant painter and I loved him with all my heart, but I knew my heart belonged to the world of satire, caricatures, and comic strips.

I hear Penny continue to speak, "You've always had a talent of creating all these made up characters from the top of your head, I remember when some of our classmates would come up from behind you to sneak a peek at your drawings whenever you weren't looking," we both giggle at the memory, and I couldn't help but feel melancholy from those few years back. All the good times spent around the ones who made us feel better about ourselves and others who were just there to shatter and cause controversy.

I shake those thoughts away and focus on asking Penny the same thing, "But enough about me, how have YOU been doing so far? Tell me what's new?!" I ask excitedly, she seemed very anticipated over the question and went on over to sit on top of the table in the middle of the room. "Ummm, damn where do I even start?! Okay well, remember all those rumors back at home, saying how I ran away from home during spring break? Yeah...well sadly they were true."

My smile faltered a bit after hearing this from her, "What about Kurt being there with you? Was that true too? Penny you told me things were over between the two of you!" I felt a bit too forward but I couldn't help myself, she just disappeared out of nowhere in the middle of the school year and didn't mention anything of it; she didn't leave a letter or said goodbye to anyone, myself included, the one person whom she told almost everything to besides her Grammy Lisa. And frankly it's been bugging me ever since that week that I find out about it two days after the break ended. Well, scratch that that was a lie, I WASN'T surprised to have her not tell me anything because she knew I'd do everything in my power to keep her from running away with that asshole of a boyfriend she had.

I can't even imagine how worried her parents must've been when they found out that their daughter wasn't in her bedroom that morning, everyone knew Penny to be a very rebellious chick. Which is why I always had to have someone we both knew to keep a close eye on her whenever we weren't sticking around one another, it sounded weird but Penny had a very strong curiosity when she was younger. She never gave anything a second thought, that is until she had to face the consequences right after, and as much as she deserved them that still didn't mean that I liked seeing her get in trouble.

She looks the other way and bites her lip a little too hard; a nervous habit of hers she's had since forever, "Don't judge me June, you know how much I wanted to get the hell out of that hopeless town, I couldn't stand the fact that my parents didn't have faith in me, you and Grammy were the only ones who actually saw me as talented, everyone else just saw me as nothing but a pretty face to look at."

Her eyes started to glisten and I felt a bit guilty for bringing up the subject but it's been forever since we had a full conversation in person, "So Kurt...was your only chance to leave Nebraska and move to the closest thing to Hollywood huh?" I asked sadly.

She hastily nods but her eyes are still facing away from mine, I walk towards where she's sitting and place both of my hands on her shoulders, "Penny honey, look at me for a second," she slowly cranes her neck and shamefully looks into my hazel colored eyes trying not to look the other way again.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad that's not it at all, I just hated the fact that you didn't come to talk to me about it, if anything me and my mom could've helped you out with that issue of yours, she was actually real good friends with a famous Broadway director up in Manhattan, she could've reserved an audition for you or something like that, why depend on someone who couldn't even take you seriously for no more than ten minutes?" I ranted while letting go of her arms and placing my hands on my hips in a scolding manner.

She crossed her arms over her chest and inhaled deeply through her mouth letting out a shaky sigh, "Seriously June? How many people did we know actually had the balls to hot-wire a car, pack their things, and just drive off to a place filled with better opportunities without looking back?! I wanted to prove that I could do things on my own" her eyes held that same fiery gaze from whenever she felt defensive over a bad decision she made but didn't exactly have a good enough excuse for, even if it was her own fault.

But in a way she was right, not many of the people we knew would've been brave enough to leave Omaha without a good amount of cash in their wallets or gas in their tanks, and still be able to have the energy to travel all the way down to the West Coast. Unless you were Kurt and his gang of air-headed jocks who were the famous daredevils of Watterson High. Seriously, if you were on good terms with those guys you could've asked them to do anything for you and they were all up for it, regardless on how risky that favor was. Sure Penny was independent but not all of her decisions turned out for the best.

I guess I was being a bit too harsh on her but that still didn't mean that what she did was acceptable, anything could've happen to her during the middle of her trip with Kurt. Plus the fact that I barely trusted that guy, he was such a bad influence towards Penny, he always knew how to start trouble in a matter of minutes with others. I'm amazed at how she was able to bear with him throughout all those years they were together, then again she was known for her tolerance of people no matter how annoying they were...sometimes.

"One last question though," I ask her as she raised her eyebrows in question.

"Please tell me you're no longer with him?" I asked desperately, silently praying that I wasn't living in the same building with that thick headed idiot. Penny simply gives me a smile and bends her head down, hearing her chuckle from beneath that long hair of hers that covered at least half of her face.

She stops laughing and raises her head to lean back on the table, "I broke up with that douchebag six frigging years ago after finding out he cheated on me with some stripper for at least two months!" I place my hand against my chest my mouth grimacing in disgust.

"Holy crap! I'm surprised you didn't disembowel him with your bare hands!" we laughed in unison as I sat on top of one of the machines across from where she sat placing my hands behind me.

"Alright, alright let's not get all riled up here, our first reunion together shouldn't start out like this, we both know just how wild you were back then, I guess I should've seen that coming at some point," I said lightly. Seeing her pursed lips bloom into a smile as I continued to smirk at her while trying to keep a straight face, but my facial expressions have never failed to make her crack a grin or two in the worst of times.

Penny wheezes out her last giggle and wipes a few tears from her eyes, "Exactly...damn, I miss moments like this between us June, I truly am sorry for not keeping in touch with you, I just had so much to deal with over the years, trust me!" she said while passing her fingers through her hair, now that I think about it she did look a little worn out.

"I still have a shitty ass job, got out of a bad relationship a few months ago, have to catch up on my bills and debts, including homework assignments. I mean...can you believe that?!" she asks as her arms flail around in frustration. "But either way I'm kind of glad I decided to go back to school even if it's just community college, might have a better chance on getting a real job in the future now," she continued with a shrug of her shoulders.

My eyes blink rapidly, I was taken aback to hear that Penny was actually taking college a little seriously now, granted she did procrastinate quite a lot during the remaining time she spent in high school; and was always more interested in boys, house parties, alcohol, and shoes instead of catching up on deadlines and scholarships. But despite all that I knew how much of a hard worker she was when it came to junior rodeo, fixing a tractor, and giving her dad a hand around their barn.

Especially that one class, the only one she mostly showed up to and took seriously, which took place in the special arts program was the drama academy. Yet I could never understand why she would waste all of that time over a guy like Kurt. Who not only got her to smoke weed for the first time, thankfully she quit doing it after getting busted by her dad when he smelled it in a pouch she left inside her jewelry box one day when she wasn't home, but he also treated her like a trophy to show off to the crowd since the beginning of sophomore year.

"I'm way more determined about it this time June, really, so far I've been in two community plays and everyone in the class including my acting coach were all pretty impressed and said they loved both of my performances!" she said all of this with a dignified air and I couldn't help but feel proud at the fact that she at least cared enough to better herself; even though a good amount of the time she made some pretty stupid things during the past few years.

I've always seen potential in Penny and hoped that one day she'd be able to pursue that special dream of hers; the one she'd used to talk to me about nonstop during our famous sleep overs and birthday parties right after blowing out the candles.

"I'll bet they did honey, you always had a way of pulling in the crowd with your bright personality" I said as she climbed down from her washing machine and crossed over to pull me into another hug. Our heads turned around to the other side of the room from hearing the second alarm going off to one of the other machines, turned out being the tall guy's washing machine this time. He seemed to have been in the middle of organizing his clothes with a folding board as he bent over to open the lid and place his now dried up clothes into his basket. For a minute I almost forgot he was even there, what with being so caught up on my conversation with Penny.

"Oh yeah, that's right he's still here," I heard Penny scold to herself, next thing I know I'm being dragged by my wrist towards the slim man, wait a second she knows this guy?! I don't know if I should feel excited or nervous about this. She comes to stand next to him and clears her throat which amazingly enough caught his attention, my palms begin to sweat as I stood behind him, this all seemed so sudden.

"Now Sheldon I know how you are with meeting new people in the building but I'd like to introduce you to a very special friend of mine."

He finally placed down his last batch of clothing into the basket and calmly turned around, my eyes widened in astonishment as I took in the site of the deepest shade of baby blues I've ever came across to. The man had wide eyes framed with long dark lashes, bowed lips, along with a chiseled face, and chestnut brown hair that looked soft to the touch, in plain terms he was one handsome guy.

I felt a shake against my shoulder, and snapped out of my little daze, "Oh! Sorry I couldn't hear you there for a second," I admitted in embarrassment pushing back a strand of my auburn hair behind my ear.

"Then perhaps you should consider on setting up an appointment with your audiologist since you fail to hear at such a distance, or do you normally lack focus on words? I'm certain that my voice was at an appropriate level of volume to hear over," he sneered.

Well, well, cute and a smart mouth? What a great combination we has there. I hear Penny sigh in frustration from next to me and can already tell that she had been dealing with this guy's attitude for quite some time now, I wonder just how long. "Sheldon could you ju-" she began until I cut her off.

"No thank you, I can assure you that I'm perfectly capable of hearing EXACTLY what you just said," I cross my arms and jut my hip out, waiting to hear what else this guy had to say.

"Well good, I don't quite enjoy speaking in such a rowdy tone, first and foremost my name is Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper PhD in theoretical physics, and who may you be? I've seen you enter here almost around the same schedule time as my own."

My face flushed a bit as I avoided his piercing gaze, I didn't think he actually noticed me before, I guess he really wasn't the social type after all. I look back into his azure eyes while trying to avoid the question in order to not come off as strange, "A physicist, wow what a strong career path to focus on, I'm very impressed to hear that."

He gives me a smug grin, raising his head a bit higher than usual, "You should be. I soon will be able to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the universe through my research on black holes, quantum mechanics and string theory."

Ah so he's one of THOSE scientists, the ones who enjoy gloating about their work without question but are otherwise proud of what they do regardless of what anyone else thinks; well confidence is an attractive trait to me, but this guy sure enjoys his ego being stroked a bit too much.

I merely flash him a polite smile and continue on, "Well my name is June Angela Riley and I just moved in here about a month ago, living up in room 4C. I just adore the new place I have! Way better than the first apartment I stayed in when I was paying rent with a cousin of mine up in L.A. it was a lot smaller."

"Whoa you live up in 4C?" Penny asked from beside me with wide eyes, I furrow my brows together and nod my head in affirmative, curious to know why she asked.

"Ironically you acquire the same floor as me and Penny, welcome to the building Ms. Davis," he mentioned in a monotone voice, returning to his laundry before turning back to me again, this time with a questionable glance, "You don't by any chance happen to obtain any sort of instrumental equipment do you?"

I'm a little befuddled by his question but shake my head, is he wondering if I play anything?

Instead he nods his head in accustom and grabs his basket with the neatly piled laundry inside, by what seems to be categorized in a specific color pattern, this guy sure does love plaid. "Then I believe we'll get along just fine, hope you ladies gain a pleasant REM sleep tonight," grabbing both detergents and placing them on top of his clothes, my eyes follow him as he strides over to the door and leaves the room.

I stand there completely drawn by the bizarreness that was Dr. Sheldon Cooper, absorbed on wanting to know more about him and his mannerisms, it seems possible that I could learn a thing or two from him.

A pat on my shoulder caches my attention for a minute, "Kind of an oddball isn't he?" Penny stated as she reached my side.

I turn to glance at her and give her a smirk, "Yeah he is…I like him already," I chuckle not missing the shocked look on her face as I go back to focus on the rest of my laundry for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks again for the faves, follows, and reviews guys__ And just a heads up: First, I have decided to change the plot to one I've been dying to do since the beginning of this year along with the narration being in third person since I wanted to get everyone's POV into the story besides June's since she's not the only main character, second there's a whole lot of dialogue in this chapter so for those of you who aren't a fan of that, I apologize:/ Note that the italics means someone's mental thoughts. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!_

**Chapter 2: **

"Sooo…how's Damien?

June couldn't help but blush at the mention of the name, she looked over at Penny with a grin as they went up the stairs, with clean laundry all folded up in their baskets. She knew Penny missed the man just as much as she had missed her and still remembered the first time they ran into the handsome Australian boy many years back during the last week of their summer vacation.

It was almost sunset as the girls drove back home from the beach when their attention was soon caught by the sandy blonde on the side of the road looking over the engine of his broken down Jeep wrangler. With them noticing the distressed state he was in and being just a few blocks away from Penny's neighborhood they decided to pull over and give him a hand (well Penny did mostly). June and Damien had hit it off quickly with one another after spotting a couple of battered up sketchbooks and a 16 x 20 oil canvas in the back seat, along with being elated to have found out that he was attending the same school as theirs as a sophomore in the visual performing arts academy which June herself was in. He had a very lively personality as well as an incredible imagination and although he wasn't the most well-known kid in school everyone enjoyed his company and optimistic nature.

"He's fine; we go to the same university actually."

Penny eyes grew a bit, "Well crap, even after all these years you guys are still sticking together. Was this something you two had planned out before graduation?" she smirked.

June rolled her eyes, "Not exactly, but it was one of the many schools he applied for, and knowing Damien he probably got accepted by all of them. So luckily enough I guess he chose to come here."

"It's pretty obvious why he did too," Penny smiled.

June's eyebrows furrowed, "Obvious how?"

Penny's eyes widened in disbelief, "Um, the guy's had a thing for you since the day we first met him and it's pretty clear that you still do too."

June shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe he might have liked me a bit back then, but I hardly doubt he chose to attend school here because of me. Besides he's already spoken for," she groaned.

Penny smacked her teeth, "So what?! You don't know if it'll work out or not. How many girls has he gone out with so far?

"At least two, this girl he's with now is a new one though," June grumbled.

Penny huffed, she remembered how much of a heartthrob Damien had been back in the day, it bothered her for June to believe that the one guy who held equally as much love for creating a whole different world on either paper as she did was out of her league, "Who's to say this one would work out, seems like the last two haven't."

"Who's to say it wouldn't, though I will say that he didn't give off the feeling of getting too serious with either one of them."

"Well maybe this one will end up just the same; does he even seem happy with her?"

"To be honest I'm not so sure. She's one of his best female models for his photo shoots and has been going out with him since the end of last month which we both know is pretty rare of him. From the times I've seen them together they seem to be pretty chill with each other. She's really sweet though."

Penny gritted her teeth, "Damn it, it's always worse when they're the innocent ones!"

June gave out a chuckle as they finally made it to their floor.

"Hey but it's alright. At least he isn't avoiding me or anything like that; no matter how busy he is he always makes time for us to chat and hang out. But hey as long as I know he's happy then so am I."

'_You guys already look and act like a couple as it is yet you don't even realize it.' _

Penny shook her head, "God, I wish I was more like you. I'd never dare myself to hang around with the man of my dreams and his girlfriend in the same room."

"Well _you_ get jealous a little too quickly _and_ have a horrible way of hiding it too. Unlike you I don't wish to start any wars with this girl, she treats me nicely so why shouldn't I do the same? Lucky for me they don't do any sort of PDA," June continued.

"Wow that says a lot already. Most couples would be all up on each other regardless if they're with friends or family. They must not be very into each other," Penny grinned while leaning against her metal door and placing her basket in front of her feet.

June followed along as she leant against the wall with crossed arms, "Or they're just being respectful," she stated.

Penny crinkled her nose with a shake of her head, "Nah, I'd say he's not entirely attracted to her."

June sighed tiredly, "So why else would he go out with her then?"

Penny tapped the artist's nose, "That is an answer that I have yet to figure out," she beamed.

June groaned, "Ugh Penny seriously?"

Penny pursued her lips and threw her hands up, "Well, if you're really that happy with him going out with her-"

"I'm not, but that doesn't mean that I would like either of us to interfere with his relationship either," June interjected.

Penny shrugged her shoulders, "Alright, but once you see that things are turning for the worse between those two you know who to come to," she winked.

June rolled her eyes until her attention was soon drawn from across the hall as the door to room 4A opened up with two men exiting from the apartment.

One being a Southwest Asian with shaggy dark hair and kind looking eyes while the other was shorter in height and possessed a bowl shaped haircut. She couldn't help but examine their loud style of clothing.

_'Never knew someone would be brave enough to wear so many semi-equal shades in just one outfit.'_

Penny greeted the guys with a smile and placed an arm over June's shoulders, "Well since you're already here I guess it's time that I introduce you to a couple of my friends. June I'd like you to meet Raj, he's an astrophysicist and Howard the engineer, they're friends of Sheldon's as well."

The Jewish man slowly strolled over to the girls with a sly grin, "Despite my achievement of traveling to the cosmos I am still considered as more of a close acquaintance to him. It's always a pleasure to be greeted by more of our cheesecake goddess's lovely ladies. And you are a radiant one at that," he coquetted with a quick kiss to her hand.

Penny couldn't help but roll her eyes in amusement.

'_Married man or not this guy will never quit on being a flirt with a pretty girl.'_

June blushed a bit at the gesture.

_'More scientists to meet it seems.'_

She smiled politely to the two awkward looking men, "Oh wow, that's quite the compliment, thank you. Nice to meet you both, I'm an old friend of Penny's. I'm actually one door down from where your friend lives."

Howard's eyes gleamed, "Well, seems as if we'll be running into you more often."

"It appears so," she chuckled.

"June here is an artist," Penny mentioned rather boldly.

Raj's eyes widened, "That is beautiful! What sort of paintings do you create?"

'_Funny. The minute you title yourself as an artiste, people automatically assume you to be a Da Vinci.' _

"While I do occasionally use materials such as watercolor, chalk, gouache, ebony pencils, and charcoal for a few of my portraits, I'm actually more passionate through animation. So nowadays I focus more on digital art rather than traditional, I'm aiming to become a graphic novelist and hope to be able to both write and design my own series."

Raj stared at June with a dazzled gaze, "That is quite a big dream you've got yourself there. I'm only capable of doodling smiling suns, circular flowers, and box shaped houses," he pouted.

Penny and June giggled in unison, '_If I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase.'_

"I would love to have a look of your sketches sometime!" Raj said excitedly.

Howard raised his hand in agreement, "Same here! Not very often do you realize that an animator is living in the building," he remarked.

"Oh! Do you two live here as well?" June was grateful on finally becoming familiar with some of the occupants of the building and hoped to meet more of them soon.

She was quickly caught off guard by a cackling Penny, "I think they'd go insane if they did, they usually just come over to visit Leonard and Sheldon on a daily basis."

"Believe me when I say that it would take more than money to have us become neighbors with _that_ lunatic," Howard sneered with crossed arms.

Raj shook his head with a sigh, "He has this strict schedule of getting everybody together for dinner right after we come out of work including weekends from Thai food night Mondays all the way to vintage video game night Fridays, so in a way it's kind of like a second home to us."

June's brows rose high on her forehead, "That sounds like your Dr. Cooper friend alright."

Howard's eyes widened a bit, "Seems as if you two have already met."

June nodded in agreement with a knowing smile, "Oh yeah."

He tucked his hands inside his pockets with a nervous laugh, "Well let's just hope he doesn't annoy you enough to move to a different floor."

"Or just this entire apartment complex in general," Raj added.

June shook her head and giggled, "I think I could take him boys. This isn't the first time I've dealt with an unusual neighbor."

"Well this one will be pretty unforgettable," Howard murmured to himself.

The door to 4A soon opened up again, this time with Leonard and Alex walking out together hand in hand giggling and conversing with each other.

"-know how fast you were going? Heisenberg then replied" Leonard was explaining as he locked his door.

"No, but I know where I am," the brunette finished for him as he turned around with another laugh that she happily joined in on.

His smile soon faltered once he caught Penny's eyes from across the hall with the guys.

Alex's smile never fell as she turned around to cheerily greet the blonde, "Oh hey Penny!"

'_Do you always need to be so perky?' _

Penny lazily waved over at the couple with a strained grin, "Hey you two. Going out for the night?"

It was quite difficult for her to act so nonchalant around the couple due to how well they complimented each other, both in looks and smarts to be exact. Even though she was never around to witness them together, for obvious reasons, she could easily tell that Leonard seemed more relaxed and peppy around the pretty assistant, she felt conflicted over whether or not she should feel proud or envious of that.

'_He never laughed at any of my jokes. And just how the hell does he always end up moving on before ME?!'_

Alex nodded, "That's right. Howard, Raj, and the girls will be joining us this time; we're going to check out that new bowling alley that just opened up," she said before pulling Leonard into a half hug.

Penny was unexpected to hear that their Indian friend would be joining in on a date night with the others as she looked over at said man with a skeptical glance; she wondered if he was honestly _that _desperate for company, "Girls? Raj does this mean you're seeing someone again?"

He widely smiled, "Lucy actually decided to give us a second chance. I'm happy to see her being so courageous with herself instead of having her fears take over her."

"Wow, I'm very happy for you sweetie. Good luck on that date."

Raj grinned in thanks as he took out his cell to text Lucy for the thousandth time that night just to be certain she wouldn't be having any second thoughts on backing out.

"And I'm guessing you must be Leonard?" June asked over to the short bespectacled man whom was focusing on twiddling his fingers.

Leonard's head jolted up at the mention of his name, "Um yes, do I know you by any chance?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"No but I am your new neighbor, just thought I'd start introducing myself to everyone while I'm still here, I'm June by the way. Just moved into 4D so I'm new to the building, I'm also a long lost friend of my girl Penny here," she indicated with a tilt of her head to the blonde standing beside her who stayed mute for the remainder of the conversation.

Leonard gave her a small smile as he walked over to shake her hand, "I see…well uh it's nice to meet you, hope you're enjoying your stay here in Los Robles," he returned with little to no eye contact to Penny whom was putting a lot of focus into her magenta painted toe nails at the moment.

"So far I am, thank you," she replied sweetly.

Leonard grasped Alex's hand as she approached him from behind, "Hate to be rude but we don't want to be late on picking up our friends so uh I guess we'll see you around."

"Hey why don't you girls come along and join us? I'm pretty sure we have room in my car for two more. Of course if you're not busy or anything," Alex insisted.

Unlike Alex, Penny wasn't oblivious to the panicked look that Leonard and the boys through to his girlfriend from behind. She couldn't help but feel stung by the fact that they no longer put effort into having her join in on any of their outings, university fundraisers, game nights, or quirky activities. Of course she couldn't blame them, she knew she'd do nothing but cause an awkward atmosphere for everyone. Or possibly start some sort of feud between her and Leonard, though normally it went the other way around especially if any alcohol were to be close by. Throughout their entire history of break ups Penny was able to catch on to how tense the aura within the group easily grew to become once they were no longer an item. Sure she wasn't as enthusiastic as they were about the conventions and duels that they annually attended to but by the end of the day she shockingly enough ended up having plenty of fun with them; it seemed as if all of that had changed once Penny had _permanently_ ended things between her and the experimental physicist. She put herself at fault for becoming accustomed to a singularly intimate relation with her neighbor as well.

Despite the occasional greetings in the mornings, through the hallway, stairways, or mailboxes, this was actually the first time after many months in which she was having a full conversation with them, thanks to June's first ever appearance in the building. It didn't surprise her that the rest of the gang would follow along with Leonard's lead on rarely paying her any mind, but that's exactly what they were: sheep. Each of them seemed to have been taking advantage on how smoothly their lives were going while she was stuck in the same status since the middle of last year, she honestly didn't have the energy or confidence to intrude on any of their business. She was far too busy with keeping up on her studies, tests, work, and play rehearsals to even make time on personally speaking with any of them.

"Actually I am, but thanks anyway. Hope you all have fun; tell Bernie I said hi for me please," she told Howard.

"Yeah of course," he nodded.

Alex shrugged her shoulders, "Oh well, maybe some other time?" she grinned.

"Sure," Penny said with indifference.

After Howard and Raj had said their goodbyes to June, the four friends soon headed down the stairs in conversation with each other.

June then turned back to Penny, "Close friends of yours?"

She slowly nodded, "Yep, known them for the past seven years, well…all of them except Alex, she's new to the gang, _apparently_ as Leonard's new sweetheart. I actually met him and Sheldon the first day I moved into the building."

"Oh that's cool, so they're roommates?"

"That's right, but sadly Leonard and I aren't as close as we used to be anymore," she frowned.

June's brows furrowed, "I did notice that neither of you two said anything to each other, let alone looked into each other's eyes. I can see that you two know how to keep a fair distance with one another," she asked skeptically.

Penny scoffed, "It only lasts for so long until we start to run into each other more often than usual, _then_ that's when things start to get _real_ strung out in a matter of minutes. We had a thing for a pretty long time but we broke it off last year."

June's eyes widened, "Y-you…with Leon- really?!"

Penny cocked her head to the side with narrowed eyes, "Why do you sound so surprised?" she tried not to sound too offended by the question.

June raised her hands, "Not to come off as rude or anything honey, but he doesn't exactly look like the type you usually go for based on all the those other boys I've seen you with in the past."

Penny threw her a funny look, "Don't you mean men?"

June shook her head, "Nope, boys. Because that's exactly what they acted like."

The girls broke off into laughter with each other.

June was amazed to hear that Penny actually went out with someone who wasn't a ripped dunce but instead one who looked more like the average Joe. Even though she knew her friend had the potential to have anyone she wanted didn't exactly mean she had very wise choices when it came to guys, sadly she didn't seem to be very aware of it either.

"Says the girl who thinks her tall nerdy neighbor is 'pretty cute', besides, I've decided to change my ways," she smirked.

June grumbled in annoyance, "For the last time _yes_ I think he's cute, but all I said was that I would enjoy on becoming more familiar with him as a friend, in time that is. He seems pretty hard to come on to, and you know I've always enjoyed meeting the odd one out in a group," she reminded her.

Penny pointed a finger at her, "That is true about you. But still I so can date a smart dude if I wanted to!"

June raised a hand, "I never said you couldn't, it's just something I'd never expect from you. I'm actually impressed to see you being more open with your choice of men. May I ask why things didn't turn out so well?"

Penny soon became hesitant with her response, "He just…wanted to move things along too quickly for the both of us."

June shrugged, "Well how long have you been with him?"

"For about... five to six years," she replied with a strained expression.

June's jaw dropped, "Penny how the_ hell _is that moving things too fast?! I cannot believe you would lead someone on like that for so long!" she scolded.

"Hey!" she cried in offense.

The artist did nothing more but stare icily at her.

She soon sighed in defeat, "Okay fine, so maybe I did...a little. But he was honestly one of the nicest guys I've ever gone out with; I couldn't just turn him down! Then again he was pretty desperate on going out with me at the time," she added with an awkward look.

June snorted, "What guy wasn't, so did he scare you off or what?"

Penny snorted as she grabbed her keys and opened up her apartment, "_Definitely_ or what."

June followed her along and closed the door on her way in, "Honey come on you know you can always tell me anything," she asserted; _'Even though I can't help but have my own opinions towards your actions.'_

Penny placed her basket on her coffee table and sat on her teal couch as June did the same and sat on the far right.

She took a deep breath before turning around in her seat to face her friend but June could tell she was struggling with her words.

"Penny just say whatever comes to mind first, I've got all day really."

The blonde nodded gratefully before she began.

"So it all started with him suggesting we go through a beta test," but soon paused when June stared at her amusingly.

"Oh you know that's when the product has already passed through the first-level-"

June laughed, "I'm familiar with what it is but this is the first time I've ever heard someone actually using it as an analogy in a relationship."

"Yeah well, when you have a physicist for a boyfriend you get used to things like that," Penny sighed.

June waved a hand at Penny, "Sorry for interrupting, please go on."

"But the thing was that we kept on having too many frequent arguments so we ended up being on and off with each other and even if we did try spending time together as _just _friends it wouldn't quite work out without us ending up in bed together by the end of the day. Our fights _never _ended up getting resolved, he barely got along with any of my other group of friends from school let alone if they were guys he'd then accuse me of flirting with them when I clearly wasn't, he didn't seem to have enough trust in me. As much as he tried, Leonard just couldn't fit in or even hold a conversation with anyone, which ended up with him whining over me spending too much time with them and not enough with him and the gang. He was the one that got me into going back to school yet always tried to correct every single answer from my homework without so much as teaching me how to solve it on my own; even though he'd never admit it I knew that having a girlfriend who was a college drop out with a mediocre job bothered him. Sadly enough we had the nerve to write down a list on traits we wanted to change about each other, it sounds so pathetic now.

June's brows furrowed worriedly, 'Emotionally_ controlling much?' I hardly know this guy and I can already tell he was quite a handful for her.'_

"Another problem was with him proposing to me at least _twice _even after telling him that all I wanted was for us to settle down and take things slow rather than having of us immediately jump into a commitment without giving it a second thought and later on regretting it, and when the time was right that I'd let him know. But did he do that? No, instead he started complaining about getting sick of me rejecting him, saying how I should be the next one to propose since 'it was only fair' for him. I knew that the gang didn't want me to push Leonard away for the sake of keeping things sane between everyone, but I just couldn't bear to continue going in circles with him and getting absolutely nowhere! Everyone was pretty happy with the way things were but at the same time afraid that our breakup would do nothing but make things complicated. So in a way maybe it has but it's not all bad, I know they still got each other's backs…except maybe mine," she added with a harsh chuckle.

June was shocked to hear that even after all these years Penny was still the lost naïve girl she remembered from middle school. The one who had been peer pressured into doing so many shameful risks that although she had more than enough right to oppose of she instead decided to take one for the team for the sake of having others accept her.

"Hell, not even my own my own dad wanted me to let him go! Probably because he was nothing like any of my exes and had a good stable career." she continued. "I just hate that he doesn't have so much as a pinch of faith in me of supporting myself. Yes I've lived off of Kurt for the past four years I came here to Cali but I've moved past that. Ever since I got my own place I've always paid my own way. I dreamed of becoming someone who was independent, I still do. And I'm sick and tired of not being able to answer for myself. I know now that I still have _so_ much to earn, to accomplish, to live for. But marriage it's just something…I have a bit of an issue with."

June couldn't help but feel pity for the Nebraskan; no matter how often she put on a smile for everyone she knew that things had never really been easygoing for her.

"Penny, real friends wouldn't make their own choices for you and that goes for family as well. But you're right about one thing, no matter what you can't rush into marriage, and even if you did it still wouldn't fix all of those problems you two had."

The blonde chewed on her bottom lip, "I know, but I guess I was just afraid."

"Of what exactly?" June asked with concern.

"I mean…isn't it frightening to stay committed to that one person your whole life? I'd be putting so much effort into taking care of a family that I'm not even sure I'd still be able to have time for myself. I was terrified of the fact that I wouldn't be able to keep up the act of being a good wife for Leonard, whether or not I'd be a good role model for our kids, that we'd run out of things to say to each other, not get used to living under the same roof as him, get impatient with his mom, or that he'd eventually grow bored of me and then once someone better comes along he'd just...abandon me," she choked up with a sob.

Penny raised her legs to tuck them underneath her chin and wrapped her arms around them as her glossy eyes became distant.

"Right now it just seems safer to be alone than having to stress with any of that trouble. Besides my parent's marriage wasn't so cheery either, they cared a lot about each other sure but I knew something was missing between the two of them. Leonard saw me as the 'perfect woman'...but I'm really not, never have been. I can barely pay my own rent, still stuck in a dead end job that I'm barely any good at, have to repeat school, and no matter how many auditions I made it to not one casting director was satisfied with any of my performances. I couldn't help but sense that they look at me and think they know what I'm about because of the way I look. And appearances can only get you so far, maybe I'm just...not good enough for anyth-"

June rushed up from her seat and moved over to the middle cushion as she grasped Penny's hands.

"Hey stop it! Every single thing you just said are problems everyone goes through in life. Everything doesn't come easily for us Penny but that's why we need to learn how to be our own person and dedicate ourselves into whatever it is we're striving for in order to gain something special from it. And you can't just predict that your marriage would be the same as you parent's either."

Penny kept quite for a moment as she continued to wipe off the remaining tears left on her cheeks.

"I know, I-I need to stop jumping to so many conclusions. I want to be able to make the decision of marrying someone without being so insecure about it. Make sure that that decision is for me alone and nobody else's," she sniffled.

"We both know you're not one to enjoy having others tell you what to do either," June lightly giggled.

She nodded, "And you know, Leonard wasn't entirely at fault of everything, I obviously had my faults too. He knew he wasn't getting any younger and all he wanted was to have a pretty girl to love and have a family with; if only he wouldn't have fallen so quickly for me…if he had just waited a little longer."

June arched a brow at her, "And I'm guessing it was a very physical relationship too?"

Penny lazily raised her hands with a roll of her eyes, "Guilty is charged. I love sex okay? Sue me."

June frowned, "Penny I know I may not have a lot of experience in this area, but I _can_ tell that there's more to a relationship than just screwing around all the time."

Penny's eyes casted down with a faint smile, "Come on June live a little. Maybe if you'd quit being so afraid of letting loose every now and then you just might know what you're missing," she chuckled but soon stopped after quickly realizing her words.

'_Crap on a cracker.'_

She reluctantly glanced back up to the red rimmed hazel eyes of June's who slowly nodded with a blank stare.

'_As if you're first time would ever be any better than mine.'_

June quickly got up from the couch and snatched her basket while taking long strides to the door, "I see, well I guess I should be going then," she said calmly.

"No no wait I didn't mean it like that!" Penny hollered as she tried to keep up with her in the hallway.

June avoided facing her as she balanced the basket against her hip to grab her key, "Sure you didn't."

"I swear! Look just forget I ever said anything please!" Penny pled.

June scoffed at her, "As if living means winning as many one night stands as you can get- you really haven't changed at all have you?!" she snapped before forcefully slamming the door in her face.

This earned a yelp from her bloodhound as she jolted up from her cushioned bed with a shock.

"Oh Mickey I'm so sorry, I forgot you were sleeping," she cooed apologetically.

She walked over and petted the startled dog behind her long droopy ears with a sigh, "Today's just been an interesting day for me."

After refilling Mickey's bowls of food and water she headed over to her room to put away her clothes in their proper place. She brushed her hair up into a circular bun and turned on her stereo as her favorite playlist started to fill in around the room.

Even during the middle of her folding and hanging she couldn't help but wonder if she went too far with her reaction towards Penny. Although they were close they still had their fair share of spats every now and which didn't necessarily last for very long. And it certainly wasn't the first time June got upset over Penny bringing up her virginity in a conversation either. She knew she only meant it as a joke but she often wondered if Penny was either annoyed or possibly envious over the fact that she was saving her purity for someone deserving of it. A choice she knew Penny never had the full conscious of doing beforehand and secretly seemed to regret.

After everything was put away she headed over to her drafting table and grabbed her favorite sketchpad from a row of at least twenty or more beat up sketchbooks of different shapes and sizes lined up at the side. She sat down on her rolling chair and grabbed a few ebony pencils from a small jar, scrolling all the way to the remaining pages to resume on a finishing a portrait of her mother.

After a good twenty minutes she dropped her pencil down in frustration and headed back over to the living room.

'_Screw it, I can't concentrate like this. There's no point in staying angry with each other.'_

She grabbed her keys from the rack on her wall and opened the door only to see said neighbor already standing outside with her hand raised.

June blinked in surprise, "Oh! Um, what a coincidence I was actually going back to your place."

Penny dimly grinned until her gaze soon turned into a serious one, "Sweetie, please don't take anything I said seriously. Sometimes I don't think straight with so many bad memories in my head."

June went over and pulled her into a hug, "Hey I know you didn't, I'm sorry for overreacting."

Penny stepped back with a shake of her head, "No, you had every right to be. I got to learn to stop taking everything so lightly."

"Yeah well we're not perfect. Some of us just have a better sense of humor than others do."

Penny nodded, "If anything I actually admire you're patience on waiting for that special someone unlike me who was too curious, drunk, and horny at the time to even think twice about any of that."

June shrugged, "Sex has never been a joke to me Penny, you should know that much. The best you can do right now is to start taking it more responsibly than how you used to before."

The blonde gruffly sighed, "Sounds like one hell of a challenge for me, especially with not getting any after a couple of months but you're right."

Her jaw soon dropped in awe once Mickey popped up from beside her owner's leg.

"No way, you brought Mickey with you?! Holy crap she's gotten so big! June she's beautiful, the last time I saw her she was just a cute little pup," she expressed cheerfully as she crouched down to pet the gentle dog who eagerly licked her cheek in return.

June grinned, "I couldn't just leave her all by herself with my parents, she would have been too bored and I'd miss her too much. I think she grew up a bit too quickly," she chuckled. "You can tell she misses you. Hey, you want to join me with some movies and chicken tacos? They come straight from the oven," she smiled.

Penny's eyes widened, "I thought you'd never ask, I got absolutely nothing in my fridge for tonight," she laughed as she followed June and Mickey inside.


End file.
